Charlie Hunnam isn't getting a break anytime soon—and honestly, neither are the creators behind the Monster franchise.
Here's the thing that's getting everyone talking: while audiences are still glued to the third installment, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which is currently dominating Netflix's streaming charts, production has already kicked off for the fourth season in Los Angeles. This true-crime anthology series, masterminded by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, is moving at lightning speed, and the latest chapter promises something we haven't seen before in this franchise.
But here's where it gets controversial...
For the very first time in the Monster series, we're getting a female subject. Season four will dive deep into the infamous story of Lizzie Borden, portrayed by Ella Beatty (known for her roles in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You). This marks a significant shift for the Emmy-winning Netflix phenomenon, which has previously focused exclusively on male killers.
Charlie Hunnam, fresh off his portrayal in the Ed Gein season, is returning to the franchise, this time stepping into the role of Andrew Borden. He'll be joined by an impressive ensemble cast that includes Vicky Krieps (recognized for Phantom Thread and Corsage) taking on the character of Bridget Sullivan, Rebecca Hall (Christine, Passing) as Abby Borden, Billie Lourd (American Horror Story, The Last Showgirl) portraying Emma Borden, and Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World, Dune: Prophecy) playing Nance O'Neill.
The opening episode will be helmed by director Max Winkler, who also worked on Monster: The Ed Gein Story and the film Flower. More casting announcements and behind-the-scenes production information are expected to be shared in the coming months.
To give you some context on just how massive this franchise has become: Monster: The Ed Gein Story dropped all its episodes on October 3rd and immediately shot into Netflix's Top 10 rankings, racking up an impressive 12.2 million views worldwide within just the first 72 hours. Those are staggering numbers that prove audiences can't get enough of these dark, twisted tales.
The third season explores the disturbing life of Ed Gein, a killer notorious for murdering women, fashioning their skin and faces into grotesque items, and exhuming corpses from graveyards. This season follows in the footsteps of its predecessors: Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. And this is the part most people miss—each season has ignited heated debates surrounding how the show portrays murder victims and whether these sensationalized retellings cross ethical boundaries. The Ed Gein season is no exception, already generating significant controversy and divided opinions among viewers.
Ahead of the season's premiere, Hunnam sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to address the criticism head-on. He defended the show's approach, stating, "I never felt like we were sensationalizing it. I never felt on set that we did anything gratuitous or for shock impact. It was all in order to try to tell this story as honestly as we could. … What I would hope and feel really confident in is that it was a very sincere exploration of the human condition and why this boy did what he did."
This fourth chapter of Monster joins an expanding roster of Netflix productions currently filming throughout Los Angeles. The list includes not only Monster: The Ed Gein Story but also highly anticipated projects like Nobody Wants This Season 2, Beef Season 2, Lincoln Lawyer Season 4, Nemesis, Worst Ex Ever Season 2, and feature films such as The Rip and Animals. It's clear that Netflix is doubling down on LA-based productions.
So here's the question that's dividing audiences: Is the Monster franchise providing valuable insight into the psychology of killers and the societal factors that create them, or is it simply exploiting real-life tragedies for entertainment? And with Lizzie Borden becoming the first female "monster" featured in the series, will the show handle her story differently than it did the male killers? Do you think there's a responsible way to tell these stories, or should some true-crime cases remain off-limits for dramatization? Drop your thoughts in the comments—are you team "it's educational" or team "it's exploitation"?
